New discovery on the uses of Aspirin!

Let's discuss the use of uncoated aspirin!

1.  Pain relief from headaches and menstrual cramps (but must be careful not to take it too frequently as aspirin damages stomach lining)

2.  Aspirin mask as taught by Jen from Frmheadtotoe and Michelle Phan (good for pimples)

3.  The NEWEST discovery is that this serves as a scrub in your face wash!  I've reverted back to Johnson&Johnson's Purpose cleanser because I really love that it is very gentle in terms of chemicals and it seems to remove all my makeup (even mascara!).  So last night, I dissolved one aspirin tablet in my palm with a few drops of warm water, added one pump of the Purpose cleanser, and washed my face.

4.  Spot treatment for pimples

It felt so good and clean!  Exfoliation plus pimple control all in one, and cheaper than Neutrogena's grapefruit scented acne scrubs and cleansers.  Multi-purpose too!  Okay, that's it for the ramble!

Product Review: Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Pressed Powder

Is it me or do these makeup names get very lengthy?  :-P  Please read the official description for the product from the Physicians Formula website here.  

This pressed powder claims that it is 100% free of harsh chemicals, synthetic preservatives, parabens, GMO's (???), synthetic colors, fragrances, and it is 100% cruelty free.  HOWEVER, there is a disclaimer that Physicians Formula has multiple suppliers for this powder, so there may be variations in the ingredients!!!!

That said, let's get on to my opinion of this product.

First of all, I bought this product last year to top over my MAC foundation.  I used this to replace the MAC pressed powder I had.  This is all psychological but I love the natural theme that's going on with the cardboard and paper compact.  The ingredients on my box didn't have a lot of chemical-like words, but then again what do I know about chemicals.  A rose by any other name is still a rose, right?  It snaps shut with magnets and is very convenient in terms of traveling or taking with you on your normal work day.  It comes with a mirror on the other side of the compact and a goat hair brush.  It is a little bit bulky, but I think that your feelings on bulky vs. non-bulky really depend on the person or the person's mood at the time.

The goat hair brush is very stiff and scratched at my face.  So after about a week of using this product with the included brush, I threw away the goat hair brush.  The only good thing about the goat hair brush is that it was small enough to fit in the compact in the space over the mirror.  I found it better when I used my own brush to apply this powder, even if they were too big to fit it the compartment over the mirror.  But that is an easy fix.  You can buy powder puffs at the drugstore and those would fit in the compartment over the mirror as well.

The product itself is pressed loosely so when you apply a brush (coarse or fine haired brush), the pressed powder crumbles easily and leaves behind a lot of powder dust.  I felt that the looseness of powder is a waste of money because for the price I paid I did want to get every last particle.

In terms of shine protection this product is great!  It doesn't mattify my face for the entire day, but then again I don't really expect any powder or product to control the amount of oil my skin can produce (did I mention that paper towels are also considered face blotters in my world?).  But when I do touch up during the day, this powder is amazing at the instant matte effect.  It goes on without making my face look very powdered. 

In terms of coverage this is a very light coverage.  I wouldn't say it's sheer, but it's not medium coverage either.  On a sliding scale, this is somewhere between sheer and light coverage, so it works very well if you have a foundation base.  I like the idea of even skin tone and I want even an even skin tone, but truthfully the only foundation I had until a few weeks ago was the MAC foundation and that really slipped around on my face after a few hours.  So for coverage purposes, this Physicians Formula product did not cut it for me.  However, for mattifying, this is one of the best products I can think of.  It doesn't last a very long time (I'd say 3-4 hours tops), but I don't really mind the extra work.

The different shades in each compact really appeals to my sense of versatility.  When I wore this with MAC foundation, I could swirl both colors together an all over face powder, use only the light colors under my eyes or to highlight the higher features of my face (don't be fooled, this is NOT a highlighter, I just thought it would help a little), and use the darker shade to contour.  As a contour shade, the darker colors have some light pigmentation that does do the job of faking that slight shadow.  It's not going to do the work of a real contour powder or bronzer but this compact can provide a small degree of 3-dimensionality to your face.  

As for my feeling on this powder and if I would buy it again, I probably would.  I don't have anything bad to say about this pressed powder but at the same time, this isn't exactly a favorite powder or anything.  I think I feel this way because it is a very functional powder for me and it's mid-range in price for drugstore products.  So the best way I can describe my feeling on it if I had to do it through suggestions is: 

It's a good product to recommend to people who are starting out or who want to experiment with different pressed powders but if they find a favorite product that is not the Physicians Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Pressed Powder, then there is definitely no hard feeling.  

^_^

Product Review: Avalon Organics Lavender Revitalizing Eye Gel

Please check out the product at the official site here and find other reviews online.

I bought this product a little after Christmas 2009.  At the time, I had started to notice very fine lines around my eyes.  I first used Egyptian Magic, then essential oils around my eyes, but then I thought the worst of winter was over, so I decided to get something light and oil free.  

I went to Whole Foods to get this A.O. Lavender Revitalizing Eye Gel for close to $30.00 USD for 1 fluid ounce.  Hah!  Anyways, I had read some good reviews of the A.O. brand in general and decided to give them a try.  I wanted to go natural, or as natural as I could get, because my skin was breaking out at the time.

Anyways, I've been using it this spring and summer.  Here are my thoughts:

Packaging:  I really like that it comes in a glass pump bottle.  The pump can twist to open and close.  However, one full pump is more than you need for just your eyes.  The product is so jelly and light that a little goes a very long way.

Scent:  I haven't noticed any scent to the product, but that's me, because I don't pay attention to it.

Performance:  I don't believe that I've noticed anything different in my skin or dark circles after a couple weeks going on 2 months of using this product.  It is light, it is non-greasy, but I also feel as if it doesn't moisturize enough.  When I travel on planes, one of the first places I see the stress is in the skin around my eyes, which does get dry and the lines more pronounced.

Skin Notices:  I don't know if it's just part of the aging process, but I've noticed that my skin has started acting up.  I think I have eczema* and it seems that certain other products irritate my skin.  I don't believe I've had a lot of instances where the product stings my face.  Avalon Organics Lavender Revitalizing Eye Gel stings the skin around my eyes.  It also feels like a burning sensation.  It lasts maybe a minute or 2, but it's enough for me to decide that this isn't a product I'm willing to repurchase.

I would not repurchase this product.  I do like the packaging, so I may save the bottle and use it for something else.  I still have a bit left, so I will continue to use it until it is gone, then I'm on the hunt for another eye cream.

Product Review: e.l.f. High Definition Powder

I bought this product a while back and have probably used it less than 14 times during the past few months.  I first learned about from emilynoel83 on youtube.  Since this product has been compared to more high-end products with equally high ratings, I figured I might as well try it.

Emilynoel83 likes it but it is probably not her most favorite product in terms of finishing powder because she believes it won't last through the day.  

I, however, really like it and think it can last throughout the day!

I bought this on eyeslipsface.com for $6 USD.  

The powder itself is very very finely milled and will fly out in a poof if you breathe on it or use force to pick up the product with the included finger puff or brush.  The powder is white but turns translucent when applied on your skin.  I don't recommend using the puff to apply the powder because the powder will fly everywhere and the puff picks up so much product that what is actually needed that you will get a cakey look.

The best way, I find, is to use a face brush (which I just bought!), dab it lightly on the puff or in the sifter, tap off the excess, and lightly brush all over your face.  You don't need a lot, just a very light dusting on your face.

I have never noticed any immediate results other than immediate matte-ness on my face.  But 5 minutes after application, the powder has set itself and my face takes on a very nice healthy glow.  This glow can last me several hours WITHOUT any oil blotting.  I know my face is getting oily, because any other day I'd need to blot by noon, but the way the powder interacts with my skin and oils is to dilute the shine.

What other reviewers of this product have said is that the powder gives them a soft focus finish.  I agree with it.  I believe that I will always keep one on hand.

^_^  Kus

Fighting Back Eczema*!

I've had dry, itchy patches near my eyes and on my nose, I also had more than usual breakouts, even after Moon Time.  So, I needed to fight back and take control of my skin!

In terms of cleansing, I needed to exfoliate a little bit more because my dry skin was causing my moisturizers to ball up during application.  So, I thought if I exfoliated a little more there, I could take away the dry flakes and be able to put on my moisturizers without having to brush off the skin balls.  I used my HG St. Ives Daily Microderm Abrasion and St. Ives Naturally Clear Green Tea Cleanser.

I mixed both in my hands and then rubbed my hands together to create the lather.

I took some time massaging this potent exfoliator and pimple zapper mixture all over my face.  I must have spent a minute or more doing that.  After washing it off, my skin does feel softer and a little more brilliant, but that's about it.  I still have old acne scars and new ones forming.  -_-  But I can live with that.  Haha... that shows you where my priorities lie!

I have a dry patch on the side of my nose, where my glasses rest on the bridge.  It is itchy and flakey there, as well on the side of my right eye.  Maybe exfoliating really does help smooth out rough, dry skin!

This is just a tiny bit of my brother's Elta Tar, which he uses for his psoriasis.  It doesn't really smell so good, unless you like the smell of medicines, and it has the consistency of petroleum jelly or Egyptian Magic, which I have used, I do like, but I gave it to Mr. P.